Fury and Glory
by Temp 777
Summary: The battle between man and dragon is over, but trouble has just begun for Berk. What does the Elder's prophecy foretell? What is the meaning of Toothless' reactions to the upcoming solar eclipse? Why does Hiccup dream of "a war with no sides"? UOC & OC
1. The Elder's Prophecy

Well, I have to say I'm in an odd position. One of which where I'm totally filled with the feeling to write, but not enough to write my book or continue one fanfic I've already started. So what does one do?

Well, after watching the best animated film this year (without doubt) for God knows at least the tenth time, I'm going to start another one. Oh boy, am I smart. But I think that if I stay true to it, I'll be able to play this one nicely. Remember to review! ^^

* * *

Blazing flame. Passionate, Ecstatic.

The Wicked curve of the lunar blade

Stars, the sparks of the blade

clashing with the inferno.

Soaring in the brilliant light

cloud's cool and moist embrace.

Comforting, but energizing.

Reviving, like morn.

Cool also is darkness, quick and unnoticed.

Warm as well as twisted. A vast blanket home to the proud trickster.

Lulling you to dreams, leaving Earth.

Vulnerable, both preying and playing.

Brave, but not incompetent.

Vigilant, but not focused.

Burning, but not searing.

Alive and never dead, but not awake.

Not calm, but collected.

Not genius, but calculating.

Not merciful, but kind.

Murderous, genocidal, but not killing. Never evil.

The flame rises, the blade falls.

The blade returns, the flame retreats.

Red, azure, blue, black, pink, red, azure, blue...

The clashing of flame and blade, ironically also a treaty.

A prime opportunity in turn. Soaring still, together they take the chance.

Evening with Day. Dusk as dawn. Crimson-Gold Twilight.

Perfectly incomplete. Juxtaposed through separation.

The flame and blade observe o'er them as they embrace without touching.

Soaring as one. Night and Morning. Fury and Glory.

* * *

Stoick read over the parchment once more as the village elder watched his reactions with wise eyes. A Viking who was reading would by itself tell somebody something was seriously off if not urgent. To read it twice, well… folks hold on to your helms. Stoick removed his own helmet and set it on the table, leaving his hand free to scratch away at his head in confusion. He finally looked up from the parchment at the elder again, his eyes hiding any emotion. The elder's stare was the same as she waited for Stoick's response.

"… Ok, explain to me again what this is."

The elder moaned loudly in frustration before picking up her staff and bonking Stoick's unguarded head with ferocity that, though not fitting of her age, reflected her strong Viking blood. "Agh!" Stoick yelped in more surprise than pain. "With all due respect elder…what in Odin's name was that for!" The elder merely grimaced at Stoick in disappointment before saying, "Well, maybe a good thwack to the head will make it work better! Think Stoick! Make me proud and assured of my choice in you as Chief." Stoick grunted before shifting uncomfortably on the small stool he was sitting upon. In the elder's hut, everything was small; the fire pit, the tables, the seats, the window. Stoick was not accustomed to things being small. Everything in his house was large and heavy, which was accustomed of any proud Viking.

…Well, almost everything in his house was big.

"Stoick, I don't have prophetic dreams like these for no reason. It was powerful, and obviously involving your son and his comrade," the elder said, trying to bring the man's attention back to her. "Well, isn't it your duty to interpret these visions of yours. How do you figure that this involves Hiccup anyway? Nothing about him pops up in these words-" The elder raised her hand for silence as she reached for her charcoal stick without taking a stern gaze off of Stoick. She then took the parchment back and underlined two words at the end of the words.

_Soaring as one. __Night__ and Morning. __Fury__ and Glory._

Stoick gawked bewildered at how worked up the elder was. "That's it. You believe that just because the words Night and Fury are close together that it must have some significance to my son and his…pet!" Within another second, Stoick had received another bonk on the head. "The Night Fury is NOT his pet, Stoick the Vast!" The elder screeched. "It is his lifelong comrade. His partner. By all means they may as well be brothers. But if that dragon is anything, it is NOT a pet." Stoick only grumbled as he quelled his anger and rubbed his head. The elder calmed down as she adopted a kinder face. "Oh, Stoick. You must understand that the time of fighting dragons is over. You are not the only one who has difficulty accepting this new era, I understand," she told the Viking Chief calmly. "However, it was your son that enlightened and saved our tribe and the dragons. And as such, you of all our tribesmen should be the most willing to cooperate with the beasts besides of course Hiccup. Different they may be he and the Night Fury are bound together in destiny. Without each other, they may as well not exist. In more ways than one, without each other, they could not live." At this point, the elder raised a finger as she had an epiphany before underlining another piece of the prophecy.

_Perfectly incomplete. Juxtaposed through separation._

Stoick merely shook his head slowly as he still had a hard time wrapping his head around it. "I just don't see any warning or danger or foretelling of doom in this, Elder," Stoic finally said. "What should I even look out for if it doesn't say these things? Should I train my men for battle? Should we fish instead of hunt this year? Should we pack up and abandon our island? It doesn't tell me these things, so I can't react 'as any chief would'.

The elder merely shrugged her shoulders childishly. "I am wise Stoick, but not all knowing. The Norns have weaved a fate, and I believe the ever-devious Loki himself presented this to me as to make this no longer a secret among the divine. Alas, it is like him to do so in a riddle," she explained to Stoick. "But what ever it may mean, the Night Fury and therefore your son play a key role in this, and I will not see your pride and fool hardiness leave him unguarded, unprepared, and distant from what lies ahead of him."

"True, it isn't wise to leave Hiccup alone and undefended." Stoick paused and then put on a devious smile. "However, as you said wise elder, Hiccup and that beast are bound like brothers. There is rarely a moment when they are not together, and what do we know that could defeat the most feared dragon for generations among our clan?" The elder wore a grim face before leaning closer to Stoick. "That is where we are weak, Stoick the Vast," she whispered solemnly, as if wanting to avoid being noticed or caught. "We are not facing anything we know. What we have stumbled upon is but a scrap of the void that is the unknown. All I ask is that you are wary of the happenings in your son's life."

"Well, as I've been told before," Stoick said as he looked at the hut's window with a grin, "I can only prepare that boy. For all I know, he could be out there right now, knee-deep in this mess you've conjured up."

* * *

So, for all those who don't know, he are some snippits of Norse mythos to clear any confusion. Most likely, you all know about them already. You're all smart people either way, lol.

- Odin, is the chief deity in the Norse pantheon, representing the All-Father and a wise leader. He has one eye, the other traded for infinite wisdom. He has two crows perched on his shoulders that observe the world and report to him, dubbed fittingly Thought and Memory. He also has an eight legged equine mount named Slipinir who can gallop across anything be it earth, air, or sea.

- Loki is an Ettin, a fiery elemental deity, who represents trickery, change, and chaos. He never really does go with Odin's flow, so you see why it would be him to reveal a secret like this one to the people of earth. Other pranks he pulls include creating foul beasts. These include Fenrir, the great wolf, and Yormangand or Jormurgandr, the great dragon nomming away at the base of Yggdrasil. And who knows, if he made Yormangand whose to say he wasn't the love counselor for Lightning and Death… ok, that was bad.

- The Norns are the Norse equivalents of the Greek Fates. They create or foresee the destinies of everyone and inform the higher ups. There are three; Urd, Verdande, and Skuld.

Moving on, I would like to thank anyone who got this far and wish that they have become interested. I am looking for beta readers and even characters you may wish to put in here, but we'll wait on that until the story progresses and I manage to conjure up an OC sheet. Thanks for reading, leave a helpful tip/review/grammar error catch... and a fish for Toothless. (^w^)


	2. The Howling Wind

Well hello everybody! I'm glad I got some people interested in this story. Even I don't know where it leads so it is truly and adventure for all of us. I also took the time to make this one about three times as big as my puny previous chapter, but I tend to make my prologues kinda small.

...Ok, in one case that is a complete lie, but I digress! ^^ Moving onto chapter 2! Please enjoy :D

Also, please note that I AM in need of a beta should one be willing to. Thank you all so much again!

-Keyon

A.N. / _**Bold italics represent Toothless' POV**_

* * *

The roar of the wind rushed through Hiccup's ears as he and Toothless flew higher into the sky. "That's it Toothless, give it everything you got!" Toothless couldn't understand Hiccup's words, but by their bond it was easy for them to communicate. Not that the Night Fury needed to hear this from his friend for life anyway. He had the time of his life flying, and after his fall (for which he had already come to forgive Hiccup for), he appreciated it more than any other dragon most likely. Toothless let go of these thoughts as he beat his leather wings harder and let his tongue out of his mouth as they ascended rapidly above their island home. They eventually passed the snowy peak of the mountain and still flew higher for a mere few more moments. It was here where they were together, in the air. While it was obvious that they were different on many levels, the two knew differently. They were bound together by a friendship, trust, and similarity nobody else could fathom. And when in the sky, they were a single entity.

It was as if they could read each other's minds. Hiccup could feel how the wind pushed against them and how it would affect the tail, and he swiftly changed the prosthetic's position for the next move. Toothless, without missing a beat prepared for this change of position and spread his wings wide as he pulled up. For a moment, everything was mysteriously beautiful. The two got a glimpse of the whole world as they hung upside-down before Toothless folded in his wings, completed the loop and dove straight down. Without fear they plummeted, and they let gravity clutch to them greedily like a child would hold onto a precious toy. Faster and faster they fell, whistling past the mountain, bursting through damp clouds. Toothless roared aggressively through the fall, unafraid of any abrupt end. Hiccup observed the rising earth with adrenalin and joy but also readiness and caution.

And then, as they fell deep into gravities grip, Hiccup grew distant in thought. _Look at me, _he thought. _Look at how far I have come. What happened to the panicking skeleton of a boy? Look at me now! _But then he looked towards his friend, his solace. He saw Toothless filled with complete ecstasy. Hiccup smiled. _No, I'm still here, normal Hiccup. Minus a chunk of flesh, but normal, _he mused over his loss of limb. By now, he had grown out of seeing it as a disability but more of a connection. It made him more like Toothless in that they both lost their ease of mobility. Another similarity they shared. And as Hiccup prepared to come out of the dive, he thought happily, _Look how far we've come, buddy. _As if they truly could read minds, Toothless looked back subtly and looked Hiccup straight in the eye. Both of them were beaming with pure happiness.

As the forest lined coast of Berk and the shoals and monoliths in the waters grew closer, Hiccup spread out the prosthetic as Toothless let loose his remaining tail fin and wings. Taunting gravity's slippery hold, the fliers pulled out of the dive and entered the labyrinth of rock Hiccup liked to call The Maze. It was where he and Toothless had discovered that as long as they were together in the sky they had little if not nothing to fear. In and out the dragon and boy weaved through the rocks; a needle sewing a tapestry that could be described only as a death-wish. But for these two, it was the best of fun! Within a minute the ride was over and they exited the rocks. Like always, Hiccup let out a triumphant, "YEEEEEEEEESSS!" And, as always, Toothless shot a loose gout of fire forward and flew straight into the cloud of smoke and flame. Toothless looked up keenly to his rider, now with his hair straightened backwards and covered in black, as he begged to know "why did you have to do that for the umpteenth time!" Toothless grinned and snorted. "_**To remind you of your place and to keep you modest…and because it's funnier than Hel's realm!" **_

Hiccup merely looked at his partner after wiping his soot stained face with an unimpressed face. This only amused Toothless further and he let loose his deep and resonant barking that was without doubt laughter. "Oh, why do I even care? We had our fun Toothless, let's go home, buddy!" Toothless prepared to bank back towards the island but he noticed out of the corner of his eye the shimmering of fish scales beneath the waves. Hiccup barely had time to change the prosthetic as they lunged toward the sea.

* * *

Astid ran hastily through the village's crowds, dodging small mobs and the hoard of dragons at the fish bowls. After this brilliant idea she had, she just had to go see Hiccup. "That toothpick better be home. I'm surprised I found out about this before he did. Ohhhh, this is gonna be so much fun if it works out!" She must have been enthused with the idea if she was talking with herself. She never tended to do that, and she completely ignored the fact that she probably looked like an insane person running and talking the way she was. One person noticed at least, and she stared after Astrid for a second in confusion until she called out before Astrid ran off. "Hey, Axe-Head!" Astrid paused mid-stride and turned to face Ruffnut with a sly look. "Whatcha need, Dragon-Butt?" Astrid countered without missing a beat. Ruffnut inwardly cursed her ne'er-do-well brother for that. "I'm never going to get rid of that am I?" she asked her closest friend. Astrid shook her head slowly, and Ruffnut shrugged and sighed. "Ah well. Anyway, why the rush? And why are you acting like somebody who needs their head reset the right way?"

That Astrid didn't quite understand. "Head reset…what's that s'posed to mean?" Ruffnut chuckled a little before explaining, "You probably don't notice that you're talking to yourself as you dash down the road. But you're speaking like you have a second head…or an annoying sibling that may as well be a second head." Again, Ruffnut cursed her brother. Astrid was caught off guard. "Huh, I don't think I've ever done that before. Well, rest assured, this Axe-Head is on straight far as I know… however…" Astrid smiled sheepishly. "I have an idea for a romantic night out with Hiccup." Ruffnut blinked. It took her a moment to remind her that she was done grieving over Astrid getting Hiccup first. It was a short crush, but a crush nonetheless. But then she did what any girl would do after hearing something like this. "What do you plan on doing to that poor, innocent boy?" Astrid immediately burst into laughter so hard she began crying. "Oh, hahaha. Don't worry; he won't stay that way for long. But he can keep his youth a little longer," she told Ruffnut deviously. "No, I was going to ask if he could take me sight seeing with me on top of the island."

Ruffnut, putting all dirty thinking aside, began to wonder what Astrid could mean. Noting her friend's confusion, Astrid put a finger out to wait as she dove her other hand into a hip pouch. She pulled out a miniscule book and began flitting through it. Ruffnut faked barfing. "Ugh, reading. Honestly Astrid, why do you even bother?" Astrid, without looking up, replied, "Hey, what would you do for some time with the one you love? Besides, it really isn't all that bad. Anyway!" Astrid stopped paging through the book and ended on a page. The book was obviously old, and the pages were stained, wrinkled and even torn in places, making reading anything hard. But regardless, the runes displayed archaic like patterns and systems, and it was underneath a depiction of two spheres overlapping each other.

Ruffnut stared blankly at the page without a clue. "Ok…how does this relate to romancing your boy-toy?" Astrid rolled her eyes. "I've been studying this for a bit and it turns out they're something like star charts and patterns somebody used to predict days when, war drums please, the sun becomes black!" Ruffnut looked up slowly from the book to her now beaming friend. "Sun…becomes black? Astrid, are you sure you're alright?" Knowing it was hopeless to try and explain the genius in the book to someone like Ruffnut, Astrid tried a different approach. "Ok, look up in the sky, and tell me what you see." Ruffnut did as told. "…Clouds, the mountain, birds, Nadders, Gronkles, Zipplebacks, Nightmares, Terrors, the whole shebang Astrid!" Astrid wore a cunning grin. "Keep looking. Squint if you have to."

Ruffnut kept searching. She finally looked in the direction of the sun and found that not to far away from it was a presently full moon in the middle of the day. Ruffnut, slowly but surely, put two and two together. "So, you're saying the moon is gonna block out the sun?" she asked stuck between amazement and concern. Astrid smiled widely and nodded. "Exactly. And I want to watch it with Hiccup and, if we're going to the mountain top, Toothless." Ruffnut grinned and nodded her head as well. "Well, whatever warrior princess. You do what makes you happy, and I'm sure that he'll be happy too. Besides, a boy with such a big head is sure to be "intrigued by such fascinating phenomena." Astrid smiled as she had when Ruffnut first caught her attention. "Y'know, I find it hard to believe you know such big words."

"Oh, shove off you fight-crazy, love struck Axe-Head!" Ruffnut playfully shoved Astrid on her way as she replied, "You know you're jealous!" Astrid ran off, and as Ruffnut watched her go she whispered for only her ears and heart to hear. "Damn right I'm jealous you lucky girl…"

* * *

Astrid rapped on the Chief's door a third time and was again presented with no reply. "C'mon, you clumsy toothpick, where are you when I need you." After waiting for some miracle to happen and being sorely disappointed, Astrid turned to leave…

Only to meet with the up close and awkward sight of a Night Fury trying to smile. Astrid yelped as she leapt back and fell on her rear end. Toothless and Hiccup laughed heartily at that. "Odin's beard, Toothless! You're my friend and righteous defender of my boyfriend, but for the love of Freya you're still very intimidating to just randomly run into." Toothless growled happily at his accomplishment. _**"You're such an amusing individual Astrid. And do you ever notice you seem to talk a lot when you get worked up?" **_

Hiccup, freeing his peg-leg from the stirrup, hopped down to meet Astrid and promptly lost his balance. At that, Astrid and Toothless shared a look of hopelessness as they rolled their eyes and kneeled to help him up. Hiccup took Astrid's and leaned on Toothless' head with his other arm. "Ah…right. Thanks for that, but I'm fine and," Hiccup paused and cleared his throat in attempt to fake that the next statement was true, "completely under control." Astrid laughed before she thumped Hiccup gently on the arm. "That's for overestimating yourself." Hiccup rolled his eyes, accustomed to his love's routine. He smiled hopefully as he leaned closer to Astrid. "Do I get something for everything else?" Astrid smiled before bonking Hiccup a little harder on the head. "Owch!" he yelped. Astrid smiled calmly as she exclaimed, "And THAT was for making me wait for you." Hiccup rubbed his head softly before darting an innocent look between Astrid and Toothless. "I-…He-…FISH!" Hiccup attempted to explain. Toothless then thwacked Hiccup upside himself with his tail. _**"Don't bring me into your confusing and hopeless arguments. You always lose,"**_ the dragon growled. "Why do you all have to hit me!" Hiccup moaned.

Astrid then smiled. "Because…I think you're going to enjoy my idea for everything else."And Astrid handed Hiccup the book. Hiccup, confused but intrigued, took the book and looked over it before opening it. "Is this a star chart of some sort? It's got runes about the night sky all over it." Astrid giggled. "That's my Hiccup. You could tell what it was even before opening it." Hiccup began thumbing through the pages until he came upon the page on the sun and the moon. Astrid pointed his attention to it and Hiccup began to read more in depth. "…I've heard of this before." Hiccup piped up before long. "It's called…an eclipsing of the sun…or something along those lines. Where did you find this?" Astrid twiddled her fingers. "Remember that fine day we went up into your storage bunk in your house. Hiccup smiled. The two kids had gotten bored and even though it wasn't Hiccup's original intent, he got a lot of kisses that day. "Yes, I recall. Is this out of there?" Astrid nervously smiled. "Yes. I hope you're not disappointed in me for taking it. I just kind of ran out of reading material and we both know how uncommon books are here." Hiccup smiled and shook his head. "No worry, what's mine is yours. Besides, you think I'd be upset to know there's another person here who enjoys reading?"

"Well anyway," Astrid began again, "I learned how to read the systems of runes and this next 'eclipsing'" Astrid emphasized humorously, "is today. And I was wondering if-" Before more was said Hiccup grasped Astrid and gave a tight hug…again almost losing balance on his bad lag but recovering it at the last second. "Yes, Astrid, I would be more than happy. Just…" Hiccup paused. "The next time you come up with a date idea before I do, smack me on the head like you always do." Astrid smiled. Hiccup was definitely not the best when it came to the standards of romance and courtship. He didn't know any pick up lines, was very uncoordinated, was overly nervous when alone with Astrid, rarely brought up date ideas, and was sometimes forgetful of priorities. However, what Astrid enjoyed about Hiccup was that he tried and cared for people and did so tenfold over for her. He may have thought she didn't notice, but he was trying his best to be a better boyfriend. On top of that he was intelligent, creative, and could turn any situation of clumsiness into an act of comedy. Astrid and Hiccup then shared a passionate kiss before she came away and bonked him softly on the head.

It was then the two Viking children both noticed the crooning coming from their draconic friend as he looked at them both with eyes the size of shields. "Oh haha, very funny," Hiccup commented before Astrid and him came and gave him a good scratch behind the…ear...head…antennae things. Hiccup had still not discovered what those were. "Don't worry Toothless we haven't forgotten you. Matter of fact, my idea couldn't work without you!" Toothless growled in response in a tone that resembled, _**"Huh?" **_Hiccup then looked at Astrid confused as well. "Yeah…what he said." Astrid giggled before kneeling close to Toothless. "Would you be willing to take us up top of the mountain to watch the eclipse with us? I would really appreciate it if you did, and then we could all snuggle together and stay warm with you. It would be fun!" Toothless snorted. _**"How many times must I tell you I can't understand your funny language?" **_Hiccup, seeing where this was going decided he'd try a hand at it. Hiccup, closed his eyes, calmed his thoughts and… reached out in a way of speaking to his best friend. He considered himself crazy every time he did this, but it seemed to work. He connected with Toothless deep inside. Hiccup opened his eyes and looked directly into his friend's. There were no more walls.

"You want to go watch the eclipse with us on the mountain Toothless?" Hiccup asked again. For emphasis he pointed to the mountain and the oddity of the sun and moon growing closer to each other in the sky. Toothless saw both and, seeing the weird facial expression Hiccup taught him was called a "smile," Toothless nodded his head. Astrid smiled and shook her head in wonderment. "How on earth do you do that?" Hiccup and Toothless, sensing the obvious confusion in the girl, both shrugged in their own ways. Astrid laughed. "Oh Hiccup, you and that dragon are a real hoot. Keep an eye on the sun and moon and meet me at my house when they get real close, ok?" She quickly pecked Hiccup on the cheek before smiling and running back down town.

Hiccup, in a daze, waved after her. "How does she do it?" he asked nobody in particular. Toothless just shook his head in humor. Hiccup noticed this. "Oh cut me some slack will you?" Then Hiccup smiled. "Thanks for coming with us." Toothless could understand the obvious gratitude in his friend's voice and composure. A deep almost suppressed roar that sounded like a purr from an immense house cat reverberated inside Toothless as he rubbed up under his like-brother's hand for another scratch. _**"Just don't disappoint me with your lack of knowledge in courting a mate Hiccup. If you're going to have one at all, it WILL be her. I will not have my human with anyone else."**_ Hiccup just scratched the dragon and smiled. "K, I'm gonna go get ready. Go ahead and have a good time until then. Find a good patch of sun to sleep in." Hiccup then left Toothless to his own devices as he went inside.

Toothless merely lay down where he stood and observed. He tried to pick out something to study, something that interested him. Today, that thing was the prelude to the eclipse as the sun and moon grew closer to each other. Toothless watched in inexplicable wonder and interest.

"…_Fury…"_

Toothless was up on his paws in an instant. He searched around for what he had heard. A whisper, distant but seemingly close as if it had fluttered by on a passing breeze. He honestly didn't even know if it was directed at him, but he knew that to the Vikings he was known as 'Night Fury.' _**"Hello. Is there one who wishes to confront me?" **_Toothless roar-asked nobody in particular. There came no reply. Toothless wore an unimpressed look as he became dissatisfied with himself. _**"Come on Toothless," **_he chastised himself._** Chasing after disembodied voices now? How like a hatchling you act." **_Toothless lay back down and then began to look back up at the celestial dance.

"…_Night and Morning…"_

'_**Ok,' **_Toothless thought. _**'That time, I swear I heard a voi-'**_

Without any warning the wind suddenly picked up and blew head on at Toothless. And with it came a thunderous voice, though obviously female, that bellowed at the volume of the roar of the Red Death.

"_FURY AND GLORY!"_

Toothless was off the ground, off his feet, and in the air within the second. The voice dug up such primeval instincts of escape that the Night Fury forgot his disability. He came crashing down to the earth, but he paid it no heed as he made hast in putting as much distance between him and the spot he was laying in. He ran and hid next to a stack of wood behind his Hiccup's house. Toothless' senses and rational thought kicked back in. He was frightened. Just now he had been scared almost as much as he was when he had fought the Tyrant Cannibal. But this time there was no malice or faith in a rider coating it. It was pure fear of whatever that voice was coming from.

"_**What in all of Asgard, Midgard, Hel and any other God-forsaken place was that…!" **_Toothless whimpered. WHIMPERED. When did he ever whimper? And that was when Toothless began feeling it; a presence of sorts that blanketed the whole village. It did not come with malice, or danger. Instead it was…curiosity? Longing? Maybe even a sense of looking something that Toothless had felt. And then, that feeling focused directly on him and turned to satisfaction. Toothless' heart raced at exponential rates as it threatened to leap from his scaled chest. And then, the presence vanished, leaving behind a very confused, frightened, and wary Night Fury.

* * *

Hrrrmmm? What is this? An unwelcome presence in the village. And one that officially creeps out Toothless?

*Toothless used Dragon Tail. CRITICAL HIT! Keyon fainted!*

_**Idiot, nothing frightens a Night Fury. NOTHING! ... And lay off the VG cats and your DS, 'cause putting my battles into Pokemon dialogue is really obnoxious.**_

_**Oh, hello everyone! Sorry I didn't make an appearance until now. Anyway, since our friend here...forgot to say this, I'll say it myself.**_

! - All characters and places in this chapter and previous prologue are from Dreamworks and How to Train Your Dragon. Credit is due to them for these characters and places as well as the esteemed Cressida Cowell for her books. Story is Keyon Trials - !

_**Hooray! Look at me being all official! I could be an attorney!**_

If by attorney you mean completely devastate the opposition, yes you could...

*Toothless used Blast Burn! Keyon was incinerated!*

_**Leave a review and please make notice of any grammar mistakes this oaf may have left unnoticed. And don't foget the fish! 83**_


	3. A Night to Remember

Hello everyone! I present to you Chapter 3 of my story! Hope you enjoy it; this is where it'll start getting exciting. ;) Plus a little bit of romance (if you must know between Astrid and Hiccup. Nothing to serious, but this is a warning for all the soft folk).

A/N : _**Remember, Toothless talks 'Dragonese' in bold italics.**_

! – How to Train You Dragon and all characters and places deriving from it are the creations of Dreamworks and Cressida Cowell. All rights and credit is owed to them. "Fury and Glory" is mine. -!

Hiccup entered his home and began hobbling his way up the steps to his room. After battling with the Red Death, Hiccup's new archenemies became staircases. Over the last few months, he would need Toothless' help to get up the steps, and that was hard given the dragon's size and the lack of space on the staircase. When his friend wasn't around, Hiccup most of the time avoided the hassle and got on all fours to get up the steps. Fortunately, this was no longer the case, and Hiccup was beginning to show improvement on his balance with the prosthetic. Granted, he couldn't run like he used to or try anything that required more natural dexterity, but Hiccup kept trying to push those limits in hopes of finally overcoming them.

After a short amount of time, Hiccup reached the second floor and his room, consisting of a mattress, a grafting desk, and a view of the outside currently covered with fur pelts to keep in the warm air. He sat down on his bed. He was excited about his date with Astrid, but now he had to get ready. Unlike most times when they spent time together in the forest or on the beach, everything was very informal. But Hiccup was determined to look nice for this engagement. "The son of a Viking Chief must be…uhm…presentable! Yeah!" he thought aloud. Then Hiccup took a look at himself. "Oh who am I kidding?"

Hiccup sat up and went to his wardrobe which was a medium sized chest at the foot of his bed. Inside was all of his clothes, in which there wasn't too much variety. Hiccup sifted through fur vest and green tunic one after the other until there was nothing much left. Sitting on his heels and thinking, his vision glanced towards the window when he heard a roar outside. 'Hmmm…Toothless must be playing with the sheep again,' he thought to himself. 'Meh…I know he doesn't like sheep as much as fish, and he REALLY doesn't like wool in his mouth.' He recounted a period of hacking hairballs. Toothless hadn't eaten a sheep since, sticking with his favorite, Cod-fish, instead.

Hiccup's eyes darted again to a space above his desk next to his window. There was an extravagant fur cloak hanging there, presented to him on the day he woke up from his coma after the climactic battle against The Queen. Now, the Vikings of Berk were never known for much more than their combat expertise and now the dragons, and rightfully so. However there were a few fine gems in the village when it came to crafting things that were not weapons. Hiccup was one of them, Gobber another when he wasn't busy with his work. And then there was the village elder. She, with her deft and experienced hands could make all sorts of clothing, whether it was loin cloth or tapestry.

The fur cloak that she had given him was made from the pelt of a black wolf. On most occasions, Vikings did not kill wolves. They were quick and agile as well as intelligent. An unwary group of Vikings were no match against a pack of experienced hunting wolves. On top of this, wolves were very revered among Vikings. But the elder said to pay it no heed. On the back of the cloak was overly intricate embroidery consisting of knotting patterns for a border around a young human figure and a black dragon figure alight with blue flame encircling the human, obviously a testament to Hiccup and Toothless for their exploits and their bond. Running along the knotted patterns were sewn runes that spelled "United" and "Eternal", and between them were the sun on one side and a full moon exactly opposite it. Hiccup thought that, given the situation, he may finally have a reason to wear the cloak.

He took it down and draped it across his back wearing nothing else but his normal tunic and his riding gear, and pinned the cloak together at his right shoulder with a decoration carved from the claw of Monstrous Nightmare. With the riding gear, it raised the shoulders of the cloak up a little, delivering an oddly regal look. It trailed down to below his knees and sort of billowed when he walked. Hiccup looked at himself before carefully walking back downstairs again and looking for a reflecting pool. "Wait…does dad even have a bowl for one of those?" Hiccup asked himself. "He's always wearing the same thing; he most likely doesn't…" Before Hiccup could continue, he turned t the sound of scratching and loud whining at the front door of his home. "Toothless? Is that you? The doors are open you kn-"

At that, Toothless rammed in through the doors, nearly knocking them from the hinges and bringing with him an uncannily strong wind. The Night Fury ran around Hiccup and then back in front of him, and began growling murderously towards the open doors. Hiccup looked at his friend, noticing that while the dragon was indeed intent upon ripping apart whatever came through the door, there was also a twinge of fear in his eyes. He remembered that look from when he first found the dragon and when he had come to protect Hiccup in the ring and he was called off before attacking Stoick. "Toothless, what's the matter buddy?" he asked as he placed his hand on the dragon's head.

Toothless paid the gesture no heed. His mind was still focused on the strange anomaly that had approached him. After it disappeared, he wanted inside with his comrade, but once inside he realized that whatever it was could have followed and attacked Hiccup. Despite his fear, he was now Hel-bent upon not letting it touch his partner. Being with Hiccup also strengthened the dragon's resolve and courage a little. He knew they were tougher together ten-fold what they were apart. "_**Demon," **_Toothless dubbed the entity as he roared out, "_**you will not enter this threshold, or I shall show you true unholiness owed to my reputation as the terror of the night sky!" **_Of course, Toothless did not believe he was unholy, nor did he even know if the 'demon' could understand Dragon. But that didn't change the fact that he was going to show that he was fearsome and territorial when it came to this home and his dear Hiccup.

Fortunately, nothing came through the doors, besides of course a cool breeze. Toothless began to relax as he turned towards Hiccup. His eyes changed from bestial and slightly afraid to safe and, as many Vikings were reluctant to admit, kinda cute. "_**Are you okay little Hiccup?" **_ the dragon asked his partner with low and comforting growls as he nuzzled up close to his friend rather forcefully. "Toothless, calm down, ok? Everything's alright bud," Hiccup attempted to calm his friend. He could tell that something was troubling Toothless, he just didn't know that the dragon thought that he was in danger. Regardless, the dragon was acting skittish and Hiccup continued to comfort the dragon just as the dragon comforted his rider. When everything had calmed down Hiccup looked Toothless in the eyes. "You all better now Toothless?" The dragon purred and licked his partner upside the cheek in confirmation. Hiccup laughed; though it smelled of rotting cod it still felt weird and ticklish kind of.

Hiccup then backed up and stood a dramatic pose, flourishing his cloak. "So, my valiant companion!" Hiccup joked. "What do you think? Nice huh?" Toothless, though seemingly impressed with his cohorts get-up, chuckled a little. _**"Well, well. I don't know much about your standards, but from my view it appears you aren't completely hopeless when it comes to looking impressive." **_Hiccup, not understanding the compliment but clearly getting the laughter, slouched a little. "Aw, gimme a break. I hardly ever overdress anyway." Toothless looked him over once again, a deep and thoughtful growl rumbling in his chest. _**"Hmmm…I think there's something missing, but it still looks nice."**_

Hiccup smiled as he looked up at the eclipse. He wondered why nobody else in his village seemed to ever really celebrate or even recognize it as much as other customs. Remembering how intrigued he was with the star charts, Hiccup guessed maybe his tribe really didn't have an easy way of predicting the date on which it falls. Taking a second glance at the sun and moon, Hiccup approached Toothless, who was still outfitted in saddle and also excited about going. "Ready bud?"

"Astrid! Hiccup's here to see you!"

Astrid turned around from her reflecting pool, but then slowly looked back. 'Are you sure this is enough?' She asked herself. Her hair was kept back and she was no longer wearing her headband, and over her normal skirt she wore a very soft brown cloak with white wool lining the edges. Astrid shook her head as she decided that she was too overdressed to be keeping her hair up. She reached for her headband on her bed and put it on, letting a few bangs cover her one eye. After looking in the pool, she determined that she looked ok. And then she rushed down stairs. Her mother was there waiting for her.

"That's a nice cloak Astrid, so don't go getting it all mucked up alright?" she chided. "And why didn't you comb your hair?" Astrid shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, I just think I look better that way." Her mother merely shook her head. "Well, whatever. Please take care of yourself while riding the Night Fury. Tell Hiccup not to let it do loops and tricks and all that." Astrid looked at her mom with disdain. "Mom, Toothless is not an 'it'. He has a name, a gender, and a heart just like anyone else in the village; maybe even more so than most people." Astrid's mom just grunted before replying, "Ok, ok. Old habits die hard. Just make sure you stay safe for me."

Astrid nodded her head. "Alright, I will." Then mother and daughter gave each other a tight hug before Astrid went to the door and walked outside. Waiting for her was Hiccup astride Toothless. "All ready for the eclipse?" he asked her with a smile. Astid was speechless. Hiccup did look…dashing actually; gallant even. His arm was outstretched to assist her to ride with him, and his black cloak wavered in the wind behind him with a passing breeze. "Uhm…Astrid?" Astrid, who had been, denied to this day, gawking at Hiccup broke from her trance. "Umm yeah. Yes! Totally ready to go." She took his hand as he helped pull her up to the saddle (which surprised Astrid that the scrawny kid could actually support her).

"Oh!" Hiccup started, "You look really nice by the way. In your cloak. It's very, y'know, pretty. Hehehe…" Toothless, unbeknownst to the two humans, rolled his eyes. '_**For the love of…would you stop acting so nervous you scrawny...meh…' **_Toothless hoped one day he would be able to instill a tad of confidence in his young friend without him always having to be around him. The dragon shrugged his shoulders which brought the rider's attention to him. All he did once Hiccup noticed him was smile smugly. It wasn't one of his signature 'Toothless' smiles, just one that reflected understanding and confidence in his human.

"Oh, ha! Thanks! I considered where we were going and thought this would be nice with all the snow there would be," Astrid claimed, returning Hiccup's attention to her "I thought I might have overdressed some too, but…" Hiccup patted her on the shoulder. "No, you look great really!" Astrid smiled in return. "You look really nice too, y'know. Be a little proud of yourself, I can tell you're nervous. Whys hould this be any different then walking on the beach?" Hiccup shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe because we all look fancy or something." Toothless moaned and shuffled his stance a little. _**"I think this is really cute, but can we get moving now? Just standing here with you on top of me is starting to make my legs numb."**_

"Ok, time to go now. Take us up to the mountain top Toothless." Astrid, grabbed onto Hiccup and prepared for the velocity of the dragon bolting into the air. Toothless leaped up and spread his wings as Hiccup splayed the prosthetic tail fin, and they were flying high above the village within seconds. The trio ascended along the cliff sides. Despite Toothless' speed, the pinnacle of the mountain was high up and carrying two people wasn't too easy either. Eventually they were circling the top looking for an area of the mountain that was high up but not totally covered with snow OR a vertical grade that couldn't be stood upon. Eventually, a small plateau came into sight and Hiccup directed Toothless' attention to it. They landed and disembarked the noir dragon, careful of their footing."Well. This is nice!" Hiccup exclaimed to Astrid who just smiled and laughed gently.

Toothless breathed a gentle flame that melted the snow and heated the stone beneath him. He barked to his friends and offered them a seat in the patch of warmth. Before long, the three were sitting together 'snuggled up,' Toothless enacting a living hearth to stay warm. It turns out that Hiccup had misgauged his timing on the eclipse and the three had to wait for a while. But it was alright in the end, as the two Viking children chatted endlessly about each other and life and laughed and jokes. Toothless, though ever wary and happy to be in the company of the two, tried to settle down and rest some. Eventually however, the big moment arrived.

Astrid pushed gently on Hiccup's shoulder. "Look." She pointed upwards towards the sky. Hiccup followed the gesture and looked up to the beginning of the eclipse, though he was careful not to look directly into it as it was still blindingly bright. Hiccup tapped gently on Toothless' snout to wake him up from some well deserved Z's. "Buddy look it's starting! Wake up!" Toothless' verdant green eyes fluttered opened and looked up as the moon blocked out the sun slowly but surely. He stared directly at the wonder of nature. His eyes were not affected by the damaging effects oddly enough, and he was very impressed with this event of nature.

Astrid snuggled closer into to Hiccup, who wrapped his cloak around the two of them and held her tight as the watched the sun grow black as coal. "Wow… it's amazing, isn't it?" Astrid asked Hiccup dazzled by the event. Hiccup only grasped her tighter. "Almost as much as you are Astrid." Astrid looked up into Hiccup's eyes, which were firm and resolute though soothing with their evergreen texture so much like the verdant forests of their island. And Astrid for a moment was lost in those eyes before she burst into a fit of the giggles. Hiccup, though in the slightest, was taken aback by this. "Oh, c'mon. I mean…it was a little cheesy, I'll admit."

"A little, Hiccup?" Astrid asked him, still giggling slightly. Hiccup merely rolled his eyes and looked away, his mood dampened by her joking. "Well, nice to know that was appreciated. Being able to retain a little dignity would be nice, but I…" Hiccup was interrupted as Astrid kissed him on the lips softly. She looked at him with a smile and gentle eyes, and he returned it with at first a look of surprise and then his own relaxed smile. "…should be used to it by now. I still don't understand it, though." Astrid shrugged. "Love is confusing for me too. It isn't like war or battle where thoughts are so simple minded and focused on a single goal," she claimed silently and with an air of poeticism Hiccup had never heard before. "So I can understand if you think the way I love you is," she paused as she breathed deeply, "at times odd. But it's the way it works." She pointed up towards the eclipse. "Kinda like that, just in a way I can't really word."

"It is something uncontrollable and inexplicable, but awesome in every way imaginable." Hiccup described. "How's that for cheesy, eh?" Astrid shook her head. "Actually, it was quite beautiful and romantic." Hiccup was still confused as to how that could be pretty and what he said before was cheesy. "Aaagghhh… my head hurts. Toothless, do you get it at all?" Toothless, didn't reply off first, staring at the eclipse like it was hypnotizing him. Hiccup blinked in confusion. "Hey, buddy? Did you hear me?" Toothless snapped back to reality as he shook his head and then looked to his rider, cooing in apology, _**"Sorry. I must not have understood at first." **_Hiccup looked worried about his dragon partner. "Are you alright? You've been acting a little weird lately Toothless. You're not hurt are you?" Astrid laughed a little. "Maybe he's just a little jealous of the attention you're giving me. Don't worry Toothless, Hiccup loves you too. And I do as well!" She finished her statement as she began scratching Toothless behind his ear-thingies as he nuzzled closer to the humans.

Eventually, as the three kept watching the eclipse continue to form and complete itself, the trio fell asleep together under the sun and moon.

Hiccup fluttered his eyes as he looked up. 'Was I asleep?' he thought to himself. He looked to his shoulder which had fallen numb to find Astrid asleep as well, her head resting upon his shoulder. He did his best not to stir so much as to wake her. He then looked to Toothless who was not asleep but instead staring up at the eclipse. Hiccup looked again towards the astronomical formation of sun and moon, now fully complete. It made it seem closer, and from what Hiccup could bare to glance at a ball of black glowing fire. 'Must not have been asleep for very long,' Hiccup reflected. Toothless glanced to his partner as he noticed him watching. The dragon snorted and growled lowly. _**"I hear voices Hiccup," **_ the dragon said in his own language.

Again, though a wall of communication was between the two, Hiccup attempted to bond with his friend. The dragon seemed like it was longing for something. "What is it Toothless. Are you looking for something?" The dragon growled lowly again. _**"Do you sense them around us, the voices?"**_ Hiccup still didn't understand, but at that point he noticed the wind was beginning to pick up some. "Toothless we better go now; otherwise we'll have a tough time with the winds." Toothless nodded silently and made no other response as he lowered his stance to the ground. Hiccup gently shook Astrid awake, who slowly got up with a lot of help and no noise. "Kind of a heavy sleeper Astrid," he commented humorously as he mounted Toothless. "Shut up…" Astrid moaned as she got on with Hiccup's help again.

Toothless wasted no time in launching into the air, flying straight up instead of downwards towards the village. "Toothless, we have to go back home," Hiccup said above the roaring winds. "There is no time to play right now and it's probably getting late." Toothless didn't respond, but merely kept flying up like as if he was trying to fly into the eclipse itself. Astrid was beginning to worry. "Hiccup, what's the matter with Toothless?" she asked with a twinge of fear. "I don't know. Toothless please, we have to go home," Hiccup coaxed the dragon as he laid a hand on his head. But the dragon batted it away with his ear-thingies and kept flying up towards a seemingly growing sun and moon as it roared out to the two riders, "_**They say we have to go now."**_ And then before any of them knew otherwise, they knew nothing but darkness; no feeling. No smells or sights, only the dark.

Hiccup jolted awake for a second time, though this time he did not see much. All around him was black, but it felt warm and soft. Hiccup began thinking and when he tried to move and was returned a loud draconic groan, Hiccup struggled more in attempts to wake his friend up.  
"Toothless! Toothless, wake up! C'mon buddy, wake up!" The warmth surrounding Hiccup vanished though the darkness did not, and the voikingboy heard the groans from the dragon change into those of disturbance into those of slight pain. Translated into dragonese; _**"Ouch...Bad landning..."**_

"Hiccup! Where are you?" Hiccup turned around to the voice of Astrid. "Over here! If you can't see anything just follow my voice!" Before long Astrid's unsure shuffling grew closer until she collapsed into Hiccup's arms. "I'm ok!" she claimed with enervated breaths. "Yeah, I'm fine!" Despite the situation, Hiccup couldn't help laughing some. "Nobody asked, but it's good to know," he chuckled only to recieve a punch on the arm in reply. "Of all the times you couldn't be a gentleman, you choose..."

Astrid never finished her sentence. She was interrupted by loud growling from behind her. Loud growling of an angry Night Fury. Hiccup realized it was the same growling Toothless displayed this afternoon when he had burst into the house. Which meant that it was more defensive than aggressive. "Hiccup," Astrid approached the boy, "what's going on? Where are we?" Hiccup didn't know anymore than she did. "That's a really good question. Toothless, what's wrong with you? Where did you take us?" The Night Fury's growl became louder as if to silence th boy. _**"I can sense it. It's back..." **_But then his growling paused before he gurgled in his throat curiously. _**"I can smell...dragon."**_

All righty, cliffhanger! Gotta love those! XD

_**You're a jerk! On top of that, you took about 5 days or so to upload this.**_

Oh bugger off, will ya? Besides, schools starting back up for me and I studied a lot of Norse history to get a few details right in this.

_**Hmmmm... fine. I'll give you that.**_

Anyway, some honorable mentions. First, I'd like to thank any and all readers for your time reading and patience and to please keep reviewing. On the note of reviews, I'd like to thank user chalicity for the very nice review that struck me speechless (SSSSSOOOOO NIIIICE!). I hope I continue to impress and that you all keep enjoying the story.

_**Review and leave fish please! ^^**_


	4. The Encounter

_***ahem***_

_**Hello everyone, Toothless here representing Keyon. He is currently preparing his "I'm sorry" speech for his long absence, so he is unavailable at the moment. Anyway, please enjoy this latest chapter. It is sure to fill in any absence of excitement there may have been. Also, please be warned that in this chapter there is a small bit of profanity near the end. Keyon apologizes for this, but he *cough I cough* believes that it was necessary to truly capture my character's identity. Anyway, R&R please, and remember that beyond the plot of this story and (SPOILERS!) the newly introduced character in this chapter (UN-SPOILERS!), HTTYD belongs fully to Cressida Cowell and or Dreamworks Studios. Hope you enjoy!**_

… _**There was that good enough?**_

Yes!

_**Good, cause I ain't doin' it again.**_

A/N _**Bold italics represent dragonese.**_

* * *

Toothless was uneasy. He had no clue where he was. Not knowing where he was made him feel endangered. He also could not see as their was no light in this place. And now, the presence he had felt earlier that day was returning, bringing along with it, curiously enough, the smell of dragons. The Night Fury growled ferociously, though knowledgeable ears would tell that the growls were above all more cautious than anything else. They were not without meaning though. The dragon addressed the entity as he did before.

"_**Demon!" **_the dragon called out, _**"Why do you smell of my kin?" **_Hiccup and Astrid didn't know what was going on, even more negligent to the conversation. But the young boy wondered what was provoking his friend, and though he could not explain it, he too felt the presence. "Astrid, stay close to me…" Suddenly, the sound of a blade released from its sheathe resounded through the impermeable dark. Hiccup prepared himself for an attack before hearing Astrid's voice. "Relax, I have a knife," she whispered. "Keep your breath steady, I can tell you're scared out of your wits." Hiccup realized that his breath was indeed rapid, almost keeping pace with his heart pumping. He noticed Astrid's was long and drawn out. 'Am I the only one afraid?' the boy asked himself inside. Disgusted in this fact, he calmed his spirit. Soon enough he succeeded in at least slowing his breathing.

The dragon, still without a reply, roared out again. _**"Demon! How dare you feign ignorance when you don't even mask your presence!" **_Toothless barked impatiently. _**"I demand that you answer me now! Why do you smell like dragon!" **_That's when a voice came to the trio. It was not heard, but more 'recognized' than anything else in their minds. It was not the language of dragons nor the Norse speak of the Vikings. But without having to resort to either methods, all those who perceived the voice understood it.

_'How uncouth! And here I thought that after years of the Norse-men calling you the 'unholy offspring of lightning and death' you would have the decency to address a stranger by something other than 'Demon,' dragon!'_ a female 'voice' resounded in their minds.

The two kids and Toothless recoiled some from the voice in their minds. They had never experienced anything like this, and they were frightened by this unknown power. Toothless, however, recognized it as similar to the Red Death's ability to control the dragon's thoughts. This made him just as fearful as the humans. Hiccup decided to test his bravery at that moment. "Who are you? Tell us where we are!" he yelled. He just barely avoided stuttering when he said this, which caused the entity to laugh.

_'Poor child, the voice said halfway between humor and sorrow. So unsure of his own power and one with so much responsibility. Well, I suppose the least I could do is tell you three that you're in the eclipse.'_ Astrid mustered an uneasy laugh. "Phhbt…you're joking right? You expect us to believe we're caught in between the moon and a giant fireball in the sky?"

_'Mmmm… the voice seemed to dwell on the comment. Actually, no I don't. In all honesty that isn't really the truth.'_ Astrid was more sure in herself for discovering this. "That's what I thought, now why don't you tell it to me straight!"

_'Alright, alright. If you think you can handle it. To tell the truth you are in a place where you have never been and, without my assistance, never would be. You are no longer in Berk nor on the planet on which Berk lies,'_ the voice said to them with a tone that deemed the situation and information very serious. Hiccup had a problem digesting it all as he didn't completely understand. He had small amounts of knowledge of the homes of the gods among the night heavens. Before he got a chance to ask or ponder further the voice continued. _'Here is a place between places. A land between lands. Nothingness between all that is. And I…'_ At this pause there was a short burst of light that cut through the darkness. The children covered their eyes, but Toothless kept his peeled to the light and began to growl louder. From it stepped a young woman with long brown hair that streamed behind her and fluttered in a non-existent wind. There were flowers and decorations in her hair that Astrid and Hiccup didn't recognize. She wore a single piece dress colored a soft marsh green that had many pockets on the front and looked oddly foreign. Her face was soft and cute, but her fierce eyes were golden and their pupils slits such as a dragon tended to have. Those eyes were as bright as the light behind her. She had a big smile on her face before she spoke…with her voice this time. "Well, you can just call me Helba!"

Astrid, Hiccup, and even Toothless all wore looks of complete confusion. "Ummmm…what?" Hiccup stammered out. Astrid, on the other hand, was very firm with her question. "Who…or better put what are you?" The girl sighed and closed her eyes as if she were bored and stretched her arms out. "I am another girl, just gifted with…talents that you've never seen. Some call me an angel. Others, 'extra-terrestrial'. Your people would refer to me as a valkyrie." Hiccup breathed in deep when he heard that. "A valkyrie! But…you're a girl as old as I am! And you don't even have a weapon…OR WINGS!" Helba giggled. "Ah, you're the doubting type, aren't you Hiccup? Hehehe!"

Hiccup flinched. "H-how do you know my name?"

"I've been watching your village ever since you befriended the dragon known as the Night Fury, or Toothless to you and those close to you. Your name is one of the first and most important things I learned." Helba turned towards Astrid. "As well as yours, fair Astrid." Astrid scowled when the girl mentioned her name. Toothless was getting impatient. This girl reeked of dragons and trouble, and he wanted nothing to do with it. However, inside him was a longing that reached out for the girl. A feeling of familiarity that he couldn't explain. _**"We have no business with you, so please release us from here before I nor any one else can leash my anger," **_the dragon grunted. Helba giggled again before her voice resounded within the minds of the three._Máni það né vissi, hvað hann megins átti. _Recognize those words, Hiccup? Hiccup blinked in response to his brain registering the familiar words. "Yeah… it's a verse from the poem Voluspa. My mom used to tell me about the stories of the birth of the sun and moon all the time." It translated to 'The moon knew not what power he possessed.' Hiccup could recite the entire poem from memory. He always loved it when his mom would tell him stories; she was exceptionally good at weaving tales. He really missed those times with his mom. "What does that have to do with anything.

"Right now, that is of little importance," Helba explained to the confused Hiccup. "I will do my best to explain why you are here…and YOU!" she exclaimed dramatically pointing at Toothless like a mother would scold a child. "_**YOU need to learn some respect, alright? I am not a demon, and you are acting like an impudent hatchling." **_She spoke to Toothless in a manner of growls and gurgles. It sounded weird but oddly familiar to the sounds Toothless made. Toothless was impressed and made a gesture similar to cocking an eyebrow. "_**Well, well…even I'm a little bewildered and confused now. Alright, I'll bite; why did you bring us here? Why do you smell and speak like a dragon?" **_For the simplicity of not having to speak in multiple tongues, Helba began her mind-talking again. '_I have dealt with dragons for a long enough time now, much longer than my current appearance would let on. However… Helba paused before continuing grievously. Something is occurring across the flow of the dimensions, and quite honestly, you three are part of the keys to solving this problem.'_

"Wait…dimensions?" Astrid queried. "You mean as in… other worlds?"

_'I mean as in other universes, my dear. This is a cataclysmic event that stretches across each facet of reality.'_ Helba looked away and stared off into the black nothingness as if she could perceive something that no one else could. '_Sól það né vissi hvar hún sali átti…' _Hiccup heard in his mind again before reflexively translating, "The sun knew not where she had her hall." _'Within each dimension, universe, world, whatever lies a population of living beings. In each of them are humans and the dragons. Toothless, do you know the age old tales your clans have told of the responsibilities Night Fury's are meant to have?'_ Toothless cocked his head and growled pensively. _**"If you mean the old hatchling's tale of the Eclipse of Creation, then yes, I remember." **_

Helba nodded. _'Night Fury's and humans have had this responsibility across the generations for a long time now. Human's, with their gift for adaptation, creativity, and superior intelligence were the Masters of Lore. They helped the civilizations of life progress rapidly.'_ Hiccup and Astrid both disagreed with that aspect on the inside knowing the citizens of Berk, but they decided to keep quiet about their opinion. _'The Night Fury, the sole dragon gifted with as much intelligence as any human if not sometimes more than such, was given the duty of protecting the Masters of Lore. Gifted with reflexes like lightning, scales like solidified midnight, claws and teeth sharper than tempered steel, a flame explosive as the sun, and in most cases a sense of battle that one could compare to an 'unholy nightmare.' They were given the title-'_

"_**Yeah, I know. Sentinels of Night. I know the fairy tale, what does this have to do with anything?" **_

_'Creation itself is beginning to unravel, and it is because the civilizations across the dimensions no longer remember their duties, Helba exclaimed solemnly. There is no more balance, and so chaos is beginning to destroy reality, while in other cases an excess of order restricts further progress… stjörnur það né vissu hvar þær staði áttu…'_

"The stars knew not where they had a station…" Hiccup finished the poem. He was doing his best to make sense of this all. "Well, I guess I can see where you're coming from…kinda." But Astrid was making much more sense. "Would the recent war between the dragons and our tribe be considered an effect of this?" she asked the girl. _'More correctly stated, it was a propagator of the event. But yes, the unbalance of things is contagious and it spreads and affects everything in mysterious ways. Destructive ways. And that is why I need your help!'_

"Helba…this is…so ridiculous I don't know what to believe!" Hiccup exclaimed. "I-I mean, other worlds! Reality breaking apart! Some age old fable that we're supposed to abide by that everyone apparently just 'forgot!' How on earth do we have anything to do with this?"

Helba did not answer for a moment. _'You three are part of a group of very important beings, she explained. Among the Master's of Lore, there were supposed to be four sages meant for keeping track of everything that was occurring. Each one capable of controlling one of the four elements of Wind, Water, Fire, and Earth, they traveled the dimensions to maintain this standard.'_

Astrid scoffed. "You have no idea how extremely fishy that sounds." Humorously, Toothless perked up at the Viking word he understood the best, but was saddened when he realized there was no seafood temptations for which he could gorge himself on.

_'These sages were also the ruling minds of the Master's, dictating the process of maintaining an equal balance between order and chaos with wisdom and compassion. They understood that the universe cannot run with only one of them, but if either were to stay unchecked, the universe would eventually tip out of line and destroy itself.'_ Helba breathed deeply before continuing. She wasn't speaking, but she was not exactly primed for speaking to three minds in two different languages at the same time. It was tasking her, and she was getting a headache now. '_The sages would travel across the dimensions like powerful ambassadors, braving any danger to maintain the balance. In order for them to be safe, two Sentinels, a mated couple and the strongest Night Furies known to reality, guarded the sages as their partners, steeds, defenders, and comrades. Much like the sages, the two were given manipulation over Light and Dark. The four sages were called the Stars of Creation, and the two Night Furies the Eclipse of Creation. Together, they were the Guardians of Creation. And thus it was…until now.'_

"And how do you propose we help you out when we still have literally no idea where this is going!" Astrid asked the girl rather infuriated at how her brain was beginning to hurt contemplating it all. Hiccup and Toothless wore equally disturbed scowls. "I have a hunch…but I hope I'm wrong," Hiccup mumbled with a tinge of nervous anticipation in his voice. "Helba, please tell me I'm wrong." Helba just smiled and she shook her hear no. Toothless growled loudly, but it could be interpreted as a moan of disappointment. _**"Uuugghhh…damn it all to Hel…" **_Astrid whirled who look of utter confusion to both her boy-friend and his dragon buddy. "Will somebody PLEASE tell me what I'm missing before I punch it out of your mouths!" Helba giggled again, almost as if she were having fun with their . "Astrid Hofferson, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, I hereby dub you the titles Star of Earth and Star of Fire respectively, Sages of Creation. _**And Toothless, you are the Lunar Blade of the Eclipse of Creation."**_

Astrid blinked in surprise. She looked at Helba with her matter-of-fact face, then to Hiccup who had his face in his palm, and then to Toothless who promptly just fell forward onto the ground. Astrid sighed as she realized with much irony that she was going to get in a lot of trouble now. They were all going to find a lot of trouble now. And so, the first words out of her mouth did not come as a shock to anyone. "Oh, crap…"

"Crap…" Hiccup repeated.

"_**Shit…" **_Toothless finished.

* * *

Ok, now for my explanation as to why I haven't been writing for a while. There really is no excuse, but I'm gonna try and give a sad sap story anyway.

It kinda started with my computer just not turning on, once it was fixed, I found that I had absolutely zero inspiration for what to do next. And finally, when my block and been lifted, it was dropped back on me with my disappointment at how both the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards both gave away Best Animated Film to Toy Story 3 instead of HTTYD. Honestly, when has a sequel in this case THREEQUEL ever gotten an award (correct me if you can). I understand classical sentiment and that Toy Story is a good story. But really, let it go… I even would have been happy if they had given it to Tangled or Despicable Me, but I- OW!

_**You deserve that… traitor.**_

Ugh fine…anyway. You get my point. I will do my best not to die for a few months. So please review and tell me what you think. If it's kinda corny MAKE SURE YOU TELL ME SO. I couldn't help but have that feeling the entire time I was writing… I'm also going to be writing for two others stories, one that has been on hiatus for about a year and another that I just happened to think was a good idea.

Bye for now! Leave fish!


End file.
